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Imperial China continues to prevail against the fickle hand of fate. Mao's anger was terrible to behold, when a Mace-Army and some elite Swords and Maces were lost to a revolution in the English town of Yak, just as they passed through it on their way towards the capital Run-dong. Yak was almost immediately retaken, but the senseless loss of such highly-experienced troops delayed Queen Elizabeth's inevitable humbling by far too many years, as China was forced to regroup and re-arm prior to continuing her relentless march across the English lands. But China has now triumphed -- the small coastal cities of Nu-ka-zil and Ko-fen-tee had already been taken prior to the Yakkish Revolt, and after a long fight Elizabeth's two most Wonder-full cities, Run-dong and Kan-ta-bali, also finally succumbed to the intrepid Chinese Crusader- and Rider-Armies, reinforced by a motley collection of Riders and Maces. The English civilisation is now shattered beyond repair, and Elizabeth's few remaining cities will be easy prey for the Chinese Tiger. Perhaps Mao can even afford to be merciful, and allow Elizabeth to hold one last small city as a vassal-state to almighty China...

The backwards Romans' puny jungle-cities along the northwest coast from China's borders also toppled like mah-jong tiles to China's Maces (and later her Riders). A desperate Roman Archer mounting a suicidal attack against a Rider fortified in a Marsh began a Chinese Golden Age several turns earlier than Mao had intended, but no matter -- although a little economic disruption occurred, all the greatest Chinese cities are now building their long-awaited Universities at high speed -- with the exception of Beijing, which is now very close to completing Reoh-nahdo's Workshop... a boon for which Mao graciously thanks his honorable but foolish foe, Caesar of the Romans! Once the Chinese Universities are completed, Mao intends those cities to build many more Riders and Muskets during the remainder of China's Golden Age.

China has also already managed to build the Knights Templar, but while the Chinese troops were pulling down London's walls, the filthy Americans finished SunTzu's Art of War. This also annoyed Mao most severely, since his spies had told him that Elizabeth was attempting to build this Wonder in her city of Ox-fat, and he had therefore decided to leave that city unmolested in order to allow Elizabeth to finish it on his behalf! Now Mao must weigh up whether he still wishes to acquire this Wonder, since doing so would now require an assault on the American capital itself, Wah-shin-tong. This would however be far more costly than the English campaign, since Wah-shin-tong is deep within American territory and -- unlike the ignorant English -- the American devils have many other cities, access to Iron and Horses, knowledge of Chivalry (and likely soon Gunpowder), and have fought no further wars since their last attempted invasion of China's lands ended in failure and ignominious retreat.

His material advantages appear to have made Lincoln a little reckless: while the victorious Chinese troops were trampling Roman Spearmen underfoot not far from the American border, and despite Mao's generous payments in return for his Silks, Honest Abe nonetheless attempted to extort the Chinese secret of Gunpowder in exchange for peace. Mao saw through his feeble bluff, and Abe relented, at least for the present -- but to encourage him to see reason before trying anything so foolish again (or at least, not before China has finished annihiliating the English to the east), Mao has seen fit to station a large battallion of Riders, Maces, Crusaders and Longbows on a Hill near the American city of Ras-Ang-ri. These troops are poised like an eagle, ready to swoop on that city at the first sign of American aggression. But unused blades will rust with time, so such a force must not be allowed to stand idle for many more years...

Shortly after the Chinese scholars learned the honorable art of Chivalry, they were directed to discover all the theory necessary to develop a Military Tradition, and their newly-built Universities should allow them to do this all the more quickly. Once this has been accomplished, and Mao is able to give his western borders his undivided attention, Abe will need to look to his laurels...

Given the size of the lands immediately available for China's expansion, her relatively low number of productive coastal cities, lack of seafaring knowledge, and concentration on overland military campaigns, the Chinese people have remained somewhat insular. Although her 2(!) small and primitive ships have long since circumnavigated the entire Chinese/ American/ English continent, they saw no obvious oversea routes to any foreign lands, nor even any small nearby islands -- so there has been little need or desire to build a Great Fleet to date. Mao is thus still uncertain of the exact location of the Roman homeland, but due to the Romans' ability to reach the Chinese borders, despite their pitiful ignorance, he suspects that it is both relatively close, and relatively small. Mao has also heard rumours of various other barbarian nations elsewhere in the world, out there beyond the foggy oceans: the Zulus, Aztecs and Indians have all built at least one so-called 'Wonder', but have not yet appeared off the Chinese coasts, thus far depriving themselves of the opportunity to marvel at China's own progress. Mao's advisors suggest that -- like China -- these nations have perhaps also been occupied with fighting amongst themselves for control of their own continent, leaving few resources or inclination for overseas exploration.

The day must surely come when Mao must meet those foriegn rulers, but Mao is not concerned. His soothsayers claim to have seen visions of military marvels: metal catapults capable of throwing fireballs scores of miles, lightly armed yet near-invincible footsoldiers, enormous iron ships belching smoke and wreaking destruction from afar, armoured wagons that move without horses, kite-like machines to rain fire from the skies, and even rockets so powerful as to destroy a city at a single stroke. Mao finds it hard to believe that such devices are truly possible, but his venerable sages will nonetheless work night and day to provide China with these near-godlike powers she so richly deserves. And by the time China is ready to meet these filthy foreigners, they will be no match for the forces that will be brought to bear against them...